Question: The sum of $2$ consecutive even numbers is $78$. What is the second number in this sequence?
Explanation: Call the first number in the sequence $x$ The next even number in the sequence is $x + 2$ The sum of the $2$ consecutive even numbers is: $x+ (x + 2) = 78$ $2x + 2= 78$ $2x = 76$ $x = 38$ Since $x$ is the first number, $x + 2$ is the second even number. Thus, the second number in the sequence is $40$.